Porn Case Figure Lost Scouts Post

An Orange County man who Los Angeles authorities allege was involved in a child pornography ring is now being investigated by Huntington Beach police because he served as an assistant scoutmaster for a Boy Scout troop in that city.

David Negrette, 26, of Westminster was dismissed from the Scouts in 1988 for not meeting the “leadership standards” of the youth group, according to Devon Dougherty, a spokesman for the Orange County Council for the Boy Scouts of America.

Dougherty refused to elaborate on why Negrette was dismissed, but he did say that there was “no relation” between the dismissal and the child pornography charge that Negrette now faces. Dougherty also refused to disclose the number of the Huntington Beach troop.

Huntington Beach Detective Sgt. Bill Peterson said Wednesday that investigators were interviewing boys 8 to 14 years old from the northern part of Huntington Beach who may have come in contact with Negrette. He declined to be more specific.

“Right at the moment, I can tell you that we have not identified any victims from Huntington Beach,” Peterson said. “We are having meetings and interviewing people to try to identify possible victims, but we are having some difficulty in finding them.”

Negrette and Jerry Houchens, 49, of Santa Ana are being held in Los Angeles on $150,000 and $200,000 bail, respectively, on suspicion of soliciting young boys in Mexico to participate with them in the making of pornographic videotapes. Also charged was John Bauer, 52, of Los Angeles. Bauer, a former priest, is the group’s ringleader, detectives allege, and is still at large.

Fourth Man Sought

A fourth man, Victor Feliciano, 29, of Rosemead, is also being sought by authorities for his alleged involvement.

Bauer, Negrette and Houchens all were charged with conspiracy to distribute child pornography throughout the Southland and the United States. Houchens pleaded innocent Wednesday to the conspiracy charges in a Los Angeles court at his arraignment. A preliminary hearing for both Negrette and Houchens is scheduled April 21.

Authorities allege that the group lured the Mexican youths--all ages 8 to 14--into participating in the videos by paying them a few dollars. The tapes were allegedly filmed last year in motels in and around the city of Ensenada.

Detective Bill Dworin of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Sexually Exploited Child Unit said that investigators so far believe that the three victimized only the Mexican youths, but that Huntington Beach detectives, along with Los Angeles authorities, would continue their investigation.

“As of yet we have no information to believe that either Negrette or Houchens were involved with any boys in Orange County,” Dworin said.

Neighbors Shocked

Neighbors of Negrette, who lived in a Westminster trailer park, greeted the news of the McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Co. employee’s arrest with shock.

“He was always real nice--a quiet fellow, always well-dressed and never a problem,” said Carl Dobos, a manager at the park in the 14000 block of Hoover Street. “When he was arrested, we were amazed. He seemed to just come and go from work and that’s it,” Dobos observed.

Dobos said the only time that Negrette had a problem in the large park was when his video camera was stolen from his mobile home last November.

“At the time, we didn’t think too much about it. But after he was arrested, the police took several different pieces of gear out of his trailer. Lots of cameras, VCRs and stuff like that,” Dobos added.

Along the well-kept, tree-lined Santa Ana street where Jerry Houchens lived, neighbors of the man who always agreed to watch their houses while they were on vacation reacted with disbelief.

“It’s unbelievable. There would be nothing in the world that would make me believe that he could have done something like that,” said J. H. Dever, a next-door neighbor.